Monday, June 19, 2017

Law protects Indian expats in Saudi but people do get laid off

Law protects Indian expats in Saudi but people do get laid off: Saud Al Sati

Saudi Arabiais in the news mostly for the wrong reasons. An
ongoing crisis with Qatar, a battle for regional power withIran, a war in Yemen, Daesh and al-Qaida at its
doorstep, Pakistan's close ally, daily reports of guest worker abuse ... Yet,
as India's top oil supplier and a security partner, it counts for a lot. As
Delhi prepares to host King Salman in the coming months,Saudi ambassador Saud Al Saticlears the fog in a chat withIndrani Bagchi

Saudi Arabia decided to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar to
protect its security. Qatar over the years has been supporting extremist groups
like Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood and Houthi militias, which have been behind
attacks in the region. Qatar has also been duplicitous — on one hand, they
pretend to make assurances of combating terrorism, whilst simultaneously
support and fund an array of terrorist groups, as well as interfere in Saudi
Arabia's internal affairs.

Kuwait is engaged in a mediation effort. We hope Qatar can
end support to terrorist groups and remove terror leaders like the head of
Muslim Brotherhood from their country. Qatar attended the anti-terror summit in
Riyadh, but afterwards took positions contrary to the summit declaration, for
instance, that Iran is a sponsor of terrorism, which they later disagreed with.

How are you
combating Islamist extremism?

We have formed multiple alliances and coalitions to eradicate
this menace. In 2005 we launched a national public awareness campaign against
extremism, which is ongoing. We have implemented one of the world's most strict
financial control systems to combat terror financing. Donations in mosques and
public places are prohibited without public approval.

This is not true. I have not seen any official reports that
say this. Saudi charities are prohibited from transferring money outside the
country. There are strict financial controls, and action has been taken against
violators, including incarceration. We are cooperating with India to check
illegal transfer of funds and money laundering.

Why are you
targeting Iran? Is the war against terror a cloak to fight Iran?

Iran is the leading state
sponsor of terrorism. It has been reiterated by our foreign minister, Adel al
Jubeir. If Iran were to contribute to our collective war on terrorism, it
should get rid of all al-Qaida terrorists who get safe haven inside Iran, stop
funding groups like Hezbollah, and Houthi militants in Yemen.

Why are there
continuous reports of Indians being treated badly in Saudi Arabia, getting
thrown out of jobs, etc?

We have not seen any significant
change in numbers of Indian nationals working in the kingdom in 2015-16. There
are now 3.04 million Indians working there and over 400 Indian companies.
However, companies restructure during difficulties and people do get laid off.
But we are trying to ensure guest workers have an accessible redressal system
to protect them.

We see a number of false news reports in the Indian media. I urge that
journalists/family members should contact us for accurate information. Saudi
law provides full protection to all expatriates, which includes a unified labour
contract and provisions that prohibit employing persons in jobs different from
the profession stated in the contract. Rules prevent workers from being made to
work longer than five hours at a stretch. Whenever Saudi authorities are
provided with valid information, detailed investigations ensue, and violators
face action. This is why Saudi Arabia remains a popular destination for job
seekers.